 Alash are featuredas guest
artists on a CD which has just won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The album,
Jingle All the Way, presents familiar American holiday music in innovative and imaginative arrangements by the celebrated American band Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Grammy Awards are given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. The announcement was made at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremonies in Los Angeles on February 7, 2009. Alash was invited by the Flecktones to collaborate on this CD while touring the US in 2007. The music includes the traditional Tuvan song "Dyngyldai" performed in combination with theEnglish Christmascarol “What Child Is This,” and a khoomei version of the American classic “Jingle Bells.”
One reviewer called
Jingle All the Way“the most adventurous Christmas album to come out in years.” Another wrote, “… you will be singing along in Tuvan before it's over. You speak Tuvan? Neither do I, but I was joining in the first time I listened to
Jingle All the Way.”
This past December, Alashtoured several American citieswith the Flecktones to promote the CD. Inthesejoint concerts, many Flecktones fans were amazed and delighted to hear Tuvan throat singing for the first time. Roy“Futureman” Wooten of the Flecktones introduced Alash, gave the audience a quick geography lesson, and offered instructions on how to listen for the overtones of khoomei. Sean Quirk filled in more details about Alash, throat singing, and Tuva.
This is not the first time the Flecktones have incorporated Tuvan throat singing into their music. Two of their earlier albums,
Outboundand
Live at the Quick, feature the well known khoomeizhi Kongar-ool Ondar.
You can hear Alash member Ayan-ool Sam throat-sing "Jingle Bells" here (US residents only). More information about
Jingle All the Wayis available at http://www.alashensemble.com/CDs.htm. More information about the Flecktones is available at http://www.flecktones.com/.
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